Knights captain Kalyn Ponga has declared his desire to return to the representative arena in 2024, throwing down the gauntlet to incumbent Maroons fullback Reece Walsh.
The 25-year-old withdrew himself from selection this year due to concussion issues, but bounced back to form in the second-half of the NRL campaign to help lift Newcastle to an unlikely finals berth.
Ponga's resurgence would see him take out the Dally M Medal for the first time in his career, but was ultimately overlooked for a spot in the Australian squad for the end-of-year Pacific Championships.
Walsh also missed out on Kangaroos selection, with head coach Mal Meninga opting to go into the tournament with James Tedesco, with the side falling short of claiming the inaugural trophy.
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Kalyn Ponga hopeful of State of Origin return in 2024
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Ponga was quizzed on whether he was disappointed to be snubbed for a green and gold jumper after his electric season and gave an honest assessment.
“I was, to be honest," he said.
"Obviously playing at the highest level is a goal of mine and always will be... in terms of saying that, no bad blood. I wasn’t disappointed at Mal, I was just disappointed that I didn’t make it.
“That team is elite, it’s going to be hard to make but hopefully I do get there."
Ponga scored nine tries and produced 19 try assists last season, with the Knights coming from the clouds to make it to the second week of the finals series before being eliminated by the Warriors.
His omission from the Queensland lineup allowed Broncos whiz kid Walsh to excel on the biggest stage - but there's still plenty of fight left in the former No.1 to reclaim his jumper.
“I want to play in that arena for sure... but you’ve got to work hard to earn it, it’s not just given," Ponga said.
“He definitely earned that jersey this year and played pretty well in it as well.
“I don’t go into the season thinking about that, obviously I want to play well at club land and hopefully that takes care of it, but I do want to be there.”
Kalyn Ponga 2023 NRL stats
| Games | 20 |
| Tries | 9 |
| Try Assists | 21 |
| Linebreaks | 19 |
| Tackle Breaks | 96 |
| Avg. Run Metres | 145m |